House Speaker Paul Ryan Addresses WMC Members at Madison Luncheon; St Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce 2017 Regional Profile and Membership Directory; #FamousChamber of Commerce Quotations: Warren Buffett; Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber to Host Elegant Awards Ceremony Honoring Downriver Women in Business; Women’s Biz Net Hosts Shop|Sip|Socialize Girls Night Out to Support Lauren Brown Scholarship; Ocean Springs one of 20 nominees for USA Today's 'Best Coastal Small Town'; What's Denver got that Louisville doesn't? Leaders look to the Mile High City for ideas; Civic leader Scott McGeary tapped for Arlington Business Hall of Fame; Town Square Chamber Publications: Valparaiso Chamber: Promises made, Promises kept!; 3rd Annual Michigan City Community Job Fair Welcomes a Huge Turnout; Town Square Publications Chamber Membership Directories and Community Profiles: The best in the U.S.

Good morning #Chamber World! It's going to be a GREAT day!

House Speaker Paul Ryan Addresses WMC Members at Madison Luncheon

From the State Journal - Making his first public appearance in Wisconsin since deciding not to run for re-election, the Janesville Republican said he hopes to use his final year in office to overhaul financial regulations known as Dodd-Frank, update infrastructure and reshape federal programs for funding technical education. In a speech to members of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, Ryan mainly touted efforts by the GOP Congress to reduce regulations. Read more: Madison.com




St Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce 2017 Regional Profile and Membership Directory

The St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce 2017 Regional Profile and Membership Directory is available at the St. Cloud Area Chamber today! Thanks to the chamber team for their help and direction putting this together!

St. Cloud Regional Profile and Membership Directory

Town SquarePublications  (www.townsquarepublications.com) can help you accomplish your chamber's gloss map, directory, community profile or publication needs at no expense to the chamber. Please email John Dussman at jdussman@tspubs.com or call (847)-427-4633.

#FamousChamber of Commerce Quotations: Warren Buffett

It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently.

Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber to Host Elegant Awards Ceremony Honoring Downriver Women in Business

Nomination Forms Now Available for the Women of Achievement Awards

Taylor, MI - The Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to announce the 2^nd annual Women of Achievement Awards luncheon, presented by Beaumont, to be held on Friday, October 26 from 11 am – 1 pm at the Stone Creek Banquet Hall in Flat Rock.  This premier and elegant awards event will showcase outstanding women in business in the Downriver region. The event will include a keynote address, delicious lunch, and a prestigious awards ceremony complete with award recipient videos and a grand experience! Nominations are now being accepted and the deadline is Thursday, May 17.

The Chamber will proudly recognize some of the most outstanding women in our region with the “Leadership Award,” “Entrepreneur Award,” and “Unsung Heroine Award!” Men will not be left out as they are eligible to be honored as a champion for supporting women in business leadership with the “Community Award,” which will be awarded to either a man or woman.

“This signature event was a tremendous success in its inaugural year, and has quickly become one of the most highly anticipated celebrations of the year in our region,” said Ronald J. Hinrichs, president of the Southern Wayne County Regional Chamber of Commerce. “We are grateful for our friends and partners at Beaumont, our Gold Sponsor PNC Bank, our Silver Sponsors BASF Corporation, Wayne County Community College District, and DTE Energy, and our community sponsors The News Herald and Monroe Bank & Trust for making this wonderful event possible!”

This year’s keynote address will be given by Dr. Curtis L. Ivery, Chancellor, and Shawna J. Forbes, Vice Chancellor of the School of Continuing Education & Workforce Development at Wayne County Community College District. In an inspirational presentation, both leaders will share how women continue to have a tremendous and lasting impact at WCCCD.

Nomination forms and the award criteria are now available online at www.SWCRC.com, or by calling 734-284-6000. Nominations are due no later than 5 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2018.

The cost to attend the event is $45 per person, including a delicious lunch. A discounted rate of $400 is available for a table of 10. Community Sponsorships, including a table of 10 and recognition are only $450. Registration is now open at www.SWCRC.com or by calling 734-284-6000. Prices will increase closer to the event so register today!

Women’s Biz Net Hosts Shop|Sip|Socialize Girls Night Out to Support Lauren Brown Scholarship

The Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce’s (BACC) Women’s Biz Net (WBN) will host the 4^th Annual, Shop|Sip|Socialize Girl’s Night Out on Thursday, April 26 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Ice House Mall & Village Shops, 200 Applebee St., Barrington.

The shopping event is a fundraiser for BACC’s Lauren Brown Memorial Scholarship, named after the Chamber’s former Head of Communications who passed away at the age of 29 from ovarian cancer. BACC awards several scholarships ranging from $500 to $1,500 each year to Barrington area senior high school students who plan to attend a college, university or technical school following graduation.

The Shop|Sip|Socialize event starts at Chessie’s Restaurant in the Ice House Mall, where attendees register and pick up their complimentary drink ticket, Shop|Sip|Socialize punch card, and a special gift. Guests then visit stores throughout the mall where exclusive specials, treats, and promotions await them at each retailer.  Complimentary appetizers will be served throughout the evening and raffle prizes will be awarded. The cost is $25 per attendee, attendee must be 21 and over. Guests are encouraged to bring friends.



Ocean Springs one of 20 nominees for USA Today's 'Best Coastal Small Town'

As of mid-afternoon Thursday, Ocean Springs was running in second place in voting for USA Today's 'Best Coastal Small Town' award.

One of 20 coastal towns across the U.S. nominated for the award, Ocean Springs was ranked second in up-to-the-minute voting, behind Pismo Beach, Calif.

"Ocean Springs appeals with its white sand beaches and freshly caught Gulf seafood you'd expect from a Gulf coast community," USA Today editor's wrote, "but it also boasts a thriving artistic community and a calendar full of cultural festivals, including the Peter Anderson Arts and Crafts Festival."

USA Today writes that the 20 nominees "offer uncrowded, unpretentious and affordable seaside fun in small packages that prove bigger isn't always better."

Ocean Springs is the only Mississippi town nominated. Nearby Gulf Shores, Ala., was nominated and was running in fifth place as of Thursday afternoon.

"With its quaint, eclectic charm, we are delighted to have Ocean Springs nominated for this award," said Cynthia Sutton, Executive Director of the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce. "Ocean Springs is a tourist favorite and we encourage the entire coastal community and those throughout the state to promote Ocean Springs for this award." Read more: Gulf Live

What's Denver got that Louisville doesn't? Leaders look to the Mile High City for ideas

Louisville leaders will head to Denver in September to explore how the booming city has attracted top professional talent and new corporations to drive economic growth.

Greater Louisville Inc., Metro Louisville's chamber of commerce, announced Wednesday morning that it will lead a trip for 120 local business and civic leaders to the Colorado capital. The annual three-day expeditions have become a key for government and community leaders to learn about change drivers in other communities and to bring back innovations to introduce here. 

“Our chamber is focusing on initiatives that lead to regional business and talent attraction. Visiting Denver will allow us to learn from one of the best economic development corporations in the country,” Kent Oyler, GLI’s president and CEO, said in a statement. 

The organization said that Denver has attracted the headquarters of financial and tech companies "by capitalizing on low real estate prices and a growing, educated population." Read more: Courier Journal


Civic leader Scott McGeary tapped for Arlington Business Hall of Fame

Scott McGeary, who has spent most of his life in Arlington and long has been active in the civic and business arenas at the local, regional and state levels, will be enshrined in the Arlington Business Hall of Fame during a ceremony set for early next month.

McGeary, an attorney, currently serves as director of state public policy for Washington Gas, and has been active in the Arlington Chamber of Commerce (where he served as chairman), Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce (where he has chaired the NOVABizPAC public-policy arm), Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, Alexandria Chamber of Commerce and Virginia Chamber of Commerce.

In the civic arena, McGeary currently serves as secretary of the Arlington Electoral Board, served two terms leading the Arlington County Civic Federation, held leadership posts with the Arlington Committee of 100, has been a member of the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals, and is a past chairman of the Arlington County Republican Committee. He also has served as vice rector of George Mason University, where he had earned his law degree.

McGeary has worked for Washington Gas since 1999. Prior to that, he had been executive vice president and general counsel of the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association, having joined the organization in 1983 as its first legislative assistant.

McGeary will join two dozen past inductees into the Business Hall of Fame, including John Milliken, Rich Doud, William Buck, John Shooshan, Emerson Reinsch,  Russell Hitt, Sidney Dewberry, Ashton Jones, W. Sydney Albrittain, James Cole, Jonathan Kinney, Joseph Wholey, Mort Zetlin, Dr. Kenneth Haggerty, Fred Burroughs, Preston Caruthers, Joel Broyhill, Herb Morgan, Elizabeth Campbell, Dr. Jack London, Neal Nichols, Henry Lampe, David Guernsey and Bob Peck.

The hall of fame, sponsored by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, is designed to salute those who both have had long-standing and successful careers in the Arlington business community, and have been intimately involved with civic and community affairs. Read more: Inside NOVA

Town Square Chamber Publications: Valparaiso Chamber: Promises made, Promises kept!

Note from the Valpo Chamber 

I want to thank you for an outstanding map which you produced for our Valpo Chamber.In my 43 years as a CEO in the Chamber Field, it was the smoothest project I have ever seen done. You made all the deadlines, your print quality and cartography was second to none. And of course you paid us in exactly the time frame you said you would so we could count the Royalty Check towards our current year revenue.

Life is very good when dealing with Town Square Publications.

You have the right of first refusal to do our next map. You are a great partner for our Chamber. We are living proof that a printed map is still very much in demand by both advertisers and consumers.

It would be my pleasure to recommend Town Square Publications as a firm Chambers and Tourism Bureaus should use when considering a printed Map or other print publications.


Rex G. Richards, CCE
President
Valpo Chamber of Commerce



3rd Annual Michigan City Community Job Fair Welcomes a Huge Turnout

With their resumes in hand and their best foot forward, residents of Michigan City and surrounding communities lined up down the hall of Blue Chip Casino’s Stardust Event Center. Behind the doors of the space waited booth after booth of potential employers. Based on the turnout alone, the 3rd Annual Michigan City Community Job Fair was an immediate success.

The job fair is sponsored annually by the Economic Development Corporation of Michigan City, the Michigan City Chamber of Commerce, the City of Michigan City, WorkOne Northwest Indiana, and the Indiana Workforce Board. The partnership of these entities allows for employers to register for the event free-of-charge.

This year’s event featured 57 tables of prospective employers. Katie Eaton, Economic Development Director for Economic Development Corporation of Michigan City, was thrilled to have surpassed their goal of 50 employers.

“I think we have a lot of great variety of employers, so no matter what our job-seekers are looking for, I think they will find at least one or two employers today that match what they’re after,” Eaton said.

Allison Bertl, a member of the Northwest Indiana Workforce Board and WorkOne Business Services Manager, stressed how important it is for the members of the community to have a chance to talk with companies seeking employees one-on-one. Bertl made a case for striking while the iron is hot.

“This [event] provides an opportunity for job seekers and employers alike to find that skill match,” Bertl said. “We know that unemployment right now is relatively low—5.3 percent here in Northwest Indiana—so it’s a tight job market.”

Both Eaton and Bertl became giddy over the sight of the crowd of people waiting for the doors to officially open to the fair at 1 o’clock.

“That’s a really big crowd!” Eaton mentioned to Bertl. “We did see a huge uptick in the number of shares and engagement around our social media on [the job fair] this year. Maybe this is just something that the community really needed this year.” Read more: LaPorte County Life

Town Square Publications Chamber Membership Directories and Community Profiles: The best in the U.S.

Town Square Publications, a division of the Daily Herald Media Group, is a national chamber custom publishing group that specializes in developing partnerships by producing high-quality print and digitally integrated publications along with other added value programs dedicated to creating relevancy for local chambers of commerce and other membership focused organizations interested in raising non-dues revenues.

Town Square Publications parent company, Paddock Publications, has over 100 years’ experience of print product development and dedicated customer service in communities throughout the Midwest. Our experience allows Town Square Publications to offer you attractive royalty and non-dues revenue share streams, provide direct distribution of your custom designed printed publications, including digital and mobile integration, and all with the quickest turn-around times available in the industry. Town Square also offers multi-media maps in both print and online formats, both with our No-Cost guarantee. More information: Town Square Publications

Chambers of Commerce and member focused organizations serve as a valuable resource in the local marketplace. The networking opportunities and representation with a wide variety of diverse businesses in your community is the catalyst of a successful organization. For further information about Town Square's publishing partnership with chambers of commerce and our No-Cost guarantee and Earned Revenue Share Program, To request your chamber publication or map proposal, contact Town Square Chamber Proposal